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Eggplant Parmigiana

This recipe is vegetarian and gluten free. It’s lovely and filling – real comfort food. And totally reminiscent of Italy.  

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggplants 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil 
  • 220g fontina cheese (I use mozzarella if you cant find fontina) 
  • 3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese 
  • 85g ricotta cheese, crumbled 
  • Handful basil leaves 

    For the Tomato Sauce
    • 600g tinned tomatoes 
    • 2 garlic cloves, crushed 
    • 1 tbsp olive oil  

Prep Time

10-15 minutes

Cooking Time

65-75 minutes

Serves

4

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees 
  2. To make the tomato sauce, simmer the tomatoes in a saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic and olive oil. Season with salt and set aside. 
  3. Heat the grill to medium. 
  4. Place the eggplant onto lightly greased baking trays, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
  5. Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side, on until golden and softening. 
  6. Loosely cover with cling film and leave to cool on the trays. 
  7. To assemble the parmigiana, ladle a spoonful of the tomato sauce into the base of a 30cm round of ovenproof dish. 
  8. Layer one-third of the eggplant on top, add half the fontina and a light covering of parmesan. Repeat. 
  9. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and eggplant, and finish with the ricotta, basil and a generous sprinkling of parmesan. 
  10. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. 
  11. Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving.